A Time for Everything

Today’s Reading: Ecclesiastes 1-3; Acts 9:1-22

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV).

I love Ecclesiastes 3. It’s such a great reminder of the orderliness of life, and how God is ultimately in charge of everything. As verse one says, “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Sometimes it’s so easy to rush ahead. Sometimes I want things to happen immediately in my own timing, instead of waiting on God’s. Other times I want the earth to stand still. I don’t want to face reality as it stares in me in the face.
Just the same, God is holy and just. He doesn’t abandon me, even during the hardest of times. He’s there when I cry, when I watch those I love leave the earth, and he’s there when I laugh as I experience something new and wonderful for the first time. He’s there when I uproot and leave the past and it’s memories behind, and he’s there as I create new friendships and new memories along life’s road.
It’s so comforting to know that God is there every step of the way. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (NIV).

What part of Ecclesiastes 3 are you experiencing today? How is God showing Himself to you through this process?